


sunflowers, daisies, and roses

by goguma



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Coming of Age, Disability, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slice of Life, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 03:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18438293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goguma/pseuds/goguma
Summary: Jongin is mute and Chanyeol is way too loud sometimes, and even though Jongin has to get a new notebook every couple of weeks because Chanyeol's hopeless in learning the sign language, it's always the perfect volume when they're together. But just like the flowers tied to the back saddle of Jongin's rusty yellow bike, everything eventually withers and beautiful things never really last that long anyway.





	sunflowers, daisies, and roses

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is an unfinished thing I found on my phone, and finally decided to continue-ish, I didn't proofread much and also this is my first post so ... I hope it's alright. 
> 
> English isn’t my first language so I’m sorry if my English is awkward or essay-like…or if there are any mistakes! I honestly haven't finished writing this yet so I really don't know how it's going to turn out later oof anyway do leave your thoughts below!

 

White they were, as long as Jongin could remember, one of the roses and flowers his mom prepared for him to bring that day. The first flower he gave to Chanyeol, well, the first flower Chanyeol ever bought from him.

-

"Yeah, one of these please," Chanyeol's eyes swept over the vibrant roses tied together in a bucket full of different kinds of flowers but his index finger focused on the palest, the white one. Jongin carefully pulled the flower out from its friends, and then extended his hand out before bringing his other hand up shyly beside his chest, folding his fingers in and only leaving two up.

Chanyeol blinked, "Peace? What?" Jongin stayed quiet, eyes locked to his feet.

"Oh wait- two? Two thousand?" Chanyeol laughed when Jongin gave a small nod, his voice loud and clear, piercing through the morning air— Jongin almost jumped because he hadn’t heard anything so loud even after moving around the busy neighborhood all morning—but he liked it, and a sheepish smile easily formed on his lips.

A crumpled piece of money was handed to him and he took them quickly in his hands. When he saw that it was the right amount, he gave a low bow to his first customer of the day, which Chanyeol returned with an awkward chuckle. A faint, croaked bell rang in the distant and Chanyeol rushed with a quiet curse under his breath. When Jongin looked up, he could only see Chanyeol's dark brown hair bouncing away, further behind the school gate.

-

About a week later on a Friday evening, a tall figure approached Jongin and his yellow bike while he was tying the last handful of flowers on his back saddle, preparing to go home. It was him again, still in his uniform and seemingly just getting out of school.

"Hey!” He called out, all toothy grin. “Can I still buy some flowers? Yeah you remember me? I bought one last week,” He paused, glancing at the flowers Jongin had left for that day. “I need to buy one again. You have some...daisies?"

Jongin blinked but didn’t refuse despite his longing to go home and eat some curry for dinner. He took one of the few daisies he had left and handed it over to Chanyeol. This time Jongin had his index finger pointed up.

"One thousand? Yeah sure." Chanyeol reached for his pockets and managed to get two coins of five hundreds out and gave it to Jongin.

Their eyes met, and now that Jongin was looking up at him, thank god it was getting dark, he got a glimpse of the other's face. Lips stretched as wide as his eyes and Jongin thought they could rip any second, wide eyes sparkling and staring at him, strange… but he couldn't help himself to smile a little too.

"Thanks!” Chanyeol started to turn around to walk away but he stopped only to take another look at Jongin,

“The fingers are fine and I guess you don’t talk that much, but maybe we could chat for a bit next time?”

Chanyeol chortles when Jongin gave a small bow instead of answering. But when Chanyeol finally walked a way, a silent sigh left his lips.

-

As usual, Jongin was finishing his usual route, walking beside his rusty yellow bike just not far from where he lived, as his mother would never let him travel far. " _It’s too far, what if you get lost?_ ", she said one day while fixing Jongin's hair when he frowned because his mother wouldn't let him go to a cemetery half a mile away, usually full of people visiting graves. There were always people in the cemetery. Jongin never really wanted to go there again though when he saw her crying once when Jongin tried to go there but ended up lost instead- thank God the local guard was around and helped him phone his mother.

"Hi." Jongin remembered that voice, so he shifted his gaze from his feet up to the other's grinning face, dim from the evening sky. Jongin blinked in return, not expecting the other to come for the third time in such a short period of time. But he nodded afterward, smiling a little while gripping one handle of his bike.

"Um, I'm not getting a flower this time,"

Jongin looked disappointed, but he nodded in understanding, a questioning look soon replacing his previous expression, wondering what the other wanted from him except to buy some flowers.

"I just want to talk to you.” Chanyeol continued with an awkward chuckle. Jongin batted his eyelids and fidgeted, averting his gaze for a while from the taller’s and back again before slowly shaking his head.

“You don’t want to?” Now the other looked disappointed, lips forming a small frown as he placed a hand on the other handle of Jongin’s bike that he wasn’t holding, as if trying to keep him there. A bit perplexed of how to react, Jongin shook his head again- not as a sign that he didn’t want to talk, but to tell the other that no, that’s not it. But Chanyeol seemed to get it in the wrong away because his frown fell even more, and he was ready to walk away.

Jongin grabbed the other’s arm, once more shaking his head in frustration when the other looked his way. “Say something- I can’t understand you.” The taller boy replied in torment, confused eyes staring down at Jongin. Jongin quickly reached for a small notebook buried under the flowers on the basket of his bike, the one his mom told him to keep in case of emergencies or misunderstandings like today. He opened the notebook as he glanced at the other’s lost expression. Taking the small pen slipped on its edge, he started to jumble something down on the small surface and quickly shoved it infront of the other’s face.

 _I can’t speak_.

It read with childlike handwriting, and Jongin trembled a little in fear of what he just admitted on that paper. Having had a rough time back in elementary school, his mother would always told him not to hint anything of his disability to anyone to avoid any kind of abuse- especially around school areas. But he just did, not to mention to a taller and bigger stranger too, though the other had bought flowers from him for a few times.

Chanyeol was furrowing his eyebrows as he read through the sentence a few times, processing what Jongin could have meant. Only moments later when his mouth went agape and his eyes widened that he seemed to finally understand. Jongin retreated his hand and stood there silently, crumpling the paper in his hand as his gaze slowly shifted to the ground, waiting for the other to say something, or perhaps to leave.

“So that’s why,” Chanyeol said quietly, scratching the back of his nape as his other hand reached forward to touch Jongin’s shoulder gently.

“I’m sorry- I should’ve noticed that.” Jongin looked up at the other slowly, shaking his head.

They both were quiet for a little while, the taller boy having no intention to leave any soon, nor did Jongin wanted to leave despite worrying what the words on the paper might cause later on. Because though it was hard to admit, he wanted to know if Chanyeol was just like any other person out there who would just get a few more flowers from him out of pity, and leave.

“I guess if you can’t speak, I’ll have to keep talking to you. ” Chanyeol finally said and the tension between their gazes softened, a genuine smile now on his lips and now it’s Jongin’s eyes that are widening. Jongin wasn’t sure how to digest those words- Did he mean what he said or was that just his way to make fun of him? He looked at Chanyeol questioningly, but the taller just grinned. Somehow, Jongin's was glad that at least, Chanyeol didn’t walk away from him right away.

A large hand was extended in front of him, “and I’m totally fine with it. I mean, I like to talk?”, he shrugged, “I’m Park Chanyeol.”

His introduction was simple and effortless as if he didn’t mind at all the fact that Jongin was unable to speak and that they both are probably going to have a really hard time communicating. But that day, they became friends through what seemed like a one-sided conversation and messy handwriting on a tiny notebook.


End file.
